The debut of the Black Knights

"Zero, it's time."

The voice from behind interrupted Lelouch's thoughts.

Without turning around, he could tell who it was: Kallen Kouzuki, one of the first people to follow him.

Lelouch intended to make her part of his personal guard.

It was not only because she had taken part in the "miracle" of rescuing Suzaku with him. He also valued her piloting skills.

With nothing but a battered Mecha best described as a heap of scrap, she had managed to carry an entire resistance organization's operations. Even if they had suffered one defeat after another, that alone was enough to show her potential as a pilot.

After all, Britannia's regular army generally used mass-produced fifth-generation Mecha. Against these scattered little groups, they could wipe them out in short order, provided their commander was not excessively stupid.

And there was one reason more important than all the others: Kallen Kouzuki's other name was Kallen Stadtfeld. Born to an Island Nation People parent and a Britannian parent, she was the young lady of House Stadtfeld, one of Britannia's eight great noble houses, as well as his classmate.

Observing her at close range while concealing his identity would also make it easier to keep an eye on her.

After giving a casual acknowledgment, he followed Kallen out of the hotel.

Timed bombs had already been planted at the connections between the floors. A press of the button in his hand would immediately blow up the building's base, bringing the entire structure down.

Boats had also been arranged for the hostages inside to escape. All that remained was the speech he had prepared beforehand.

Just then, a loud explosion rang out from underground.

Boom!

Firelight shone up from beneath the water, and the violent tremors sent a towering wave surging upward.

Under the moonlight, a white Mecha emerged on the shore through the curtain of splashing water.

"Is that... the white Mecha from back then...?"

Lelouch remembered it vividly.

Two generations ahead, the Seventh Generation Knightmare had already reached the level of a tactical weapon. It had ruined his plans several times.

"Looks like it's time to devise some countermeasures..."

Boom, boom!

As the hotel in the middle of Lake Kawaguchi collapsed, Lelouch and the others quietly departed.

He had originally intended to make a spectacular entrance on a worldwide live broadcast. But his concern that "that man might do something" prompted him to leave the scene without lingering.

The live broadcast was replaced with a recording, with the prerecorded footage aired on various channels. Even if some stations had their broadcasts cut off, the name of their "Black Knights" would spread through this act of "justice."

So far, everything was proceeding according to Lelouch's plan.

The next day, a tidal wave known as the "Black Knights" swept across the entire Island Nation.

Miraculously, the broadcast feeds had not been cut, allowing the entire Island Nation to witness the debut of the "Black Knights" and Zero in full.

The television producer responsible for it, Detritus Rix, paid for it with his resignation.

Although this wave was not enough to weaken Britannia's rule or its power to intimidate, some native residents of the Island Nation, along with people from various scattered resistance groups who shared the "Black Knights'" ideals, flocked to join them as though possessed, as if they had glimpsed hope for a new life.

As a result, Lelouch's organization grew further. Its size now rivaled the Island Nation Liberation Front and even showed signs of surpassing it.

Although the members varied widely in quality and could not compare to regular troops, as long as they knew how to obey orders, they would suffice under the current circumstances.

However, Lelouch still needed an opportunity-one that would make his subordinates submit to him completely and instill the conviction that "without him, defeat was inevitable; with him, victory was assured."

After returning home and putting away Zero's outfit and mask, Lelouch slumped into a chair, utterly exhausted.

He could not miss the next day's classes, or his absence might become a crucial clue that exposed him. He could only get a little rest in the less than three hours remaining before class.

Just then, C.C spoke from nearby.

"You really are a mess."

It was an utterly empty greeting. Lelouch had no intention of engaging in a conversation like that and remained sprawled there in silence.

"Your plan was quite a success, though. At least it had the shock value you wanted. I doubt Britannia will keep ignoring your actions now."

That was part of Lelouch's plan.

He would draw Britannia's attention to a certain extent, making them think his "Black Knights" were merely another organization like the Island Nation Liberation Front-one that required more troops to suppress, but was not enough to rouse the sleeping lion fully.

More importantly, his actions had not yet reached the point where Ask needed to intervene.

As Ask was neither the governor nor the deputy governor of the Island Nation colony, he had no authority to interfere in its war.

Unless Cornelia voluntarily relinquished her position as governor, or the emperor gave the order. But either possibility was virtually unthinkable.

Of course, lacking the authority to intervene did not mean Ask could not interfere indirectly. After all, one of the frontline commanders, Jeremiah, was his trusted subordinate.

As long as the outcome did no more than pique Ask's interest a little, falling far short of prompting him to act personally, the plan would be a success.

When she finished speaking, Lelouch abruptly lost his sleepiness. He opened his eyes and studied C.C out of the corner of his eye.

He was curious what conclusion she meant to lead into with those two inconsequential remarks.

C.C still held a magazine, leafing through it indifferently and paying no heed to Lelouch's gaze. Only after a pause did she speak again.

"If you draw too much attention, even if that man doesn't act, Cornelia's strength alone would be enough to wipe out the 'Black Knights' without any effort."

"Of course I know that."

That was the risk in his plan.

After one successful operation after another, his subordinates were bound to grow overconfident. But they still could not face Cornelia head-on.

Setting aside his confidence in his own strategies, the gap between the two sides' equipment was simply too great.

"We have fewer than twenty usable Knightmares, and my subordinates vary widely in quality. A head-on confrontation would mean certain death. But finding us won't be easy while we remain hidden in the shadows. The pieces are in place, and we've achieved the publicity we wanted. All that's left is to wait for the other side to make its moves, then counter them one by one."

"It's not just Britannia. Some other organizations have probably noticed you too."

"The Kyoto Six Houses? Just a bunch of parasites clinging to life. We'll make contact sooner or later..."

"You'd better make contact sooner, Lelouch."

There seemed to be a hint of urgency in her words.

Lelouch turned to look directly into C.C's eyes, trying to discern something in those pupils that held unfathomably deep emotions.

"Why?"

He did not trust C.C completely, but compared to his subordinates, she was more deserving of his trust.

After all, when his carelessness had cost him in his last encounter with Cornelia, C.C had risked danger to save him.

There was also the matter of Geass.

The only thing he could not ascertain was this woman's "wish."

She had granted him Geass, and the price was to fulfill her wish in return. Yet the woman before him refused to say anything about that wish.

She had left him with nothing but suspicious words along the lines of "I'll tell you when the time comes."

Still, from what he could see so far, she presumably did not want to be captured by Britannia. In that respect, they could be considered to be in the same boat.

"As for the reason..."

C.C raised her head and met his faintly questioning gaze without a flicker of emotion.

When this witch, who had lived for who knew how long, lied in earnest, no one could see through her except Ask, who knew her best.

"Because what you've been doing lately has caused some minor disagreements within the 'Radical Faction,' as well as criticism from outside. That man can't possibly ignore weaknesses that could grow at any moment. Add to that the reduction in Jeremiah's command authority, and that man's faction won't be able to make any major moves for the time being."

"Are you saying this is the best time for me to expand my forces...?"